In these days when the temperature refuses to rise to a decent reading, and no amount of Swiss Miss and Lavazza can keep your extremities warm, it’s important to note that not everyone hates winter in Chicago. One of those cheery people is Eduardo Vea, an expat Spaniard living in the Windy City who spent some quality time with his video camera amid the snowflakes, and sent in...

Have you ever wondered why it snows so much longer in The Loop than in the rest of the city? Leaving your apartment in Rogers Park on a perfectly clear morning after a snowy night, you find out that by the time you get to Huron Street, the flakes are falling fiercely. Blame it on lake winds and flat roofs. Did you enjoy this article? Click to give the author a few...

In these days when the temperature refuses to rise to a decent reading, and no amount of Swiss Miss and Lavazza can keep your extremities warm, it’s important to note that not everyone hates winter in Chicago. One of those cheery people is Eduardo Vea, an expat Spaniard living in the Windy City who spent some quality time with his video camera amid the snowflakes, and sent in this photo of how he sees his adopted city in the...

Have you ever wondered why it snows so much longer in The Loop than in the rest of the city? Leaving your apartment in Rogers Park on a perfectly clear morning after a snowy night, you find out that by the time you get to Huron Street, the flakes are falling fiercely. Blame it on lake winds and flat roofs. Did you enjoy this article? Click to give the author a few...

It seems like lately my friends who live in South Florida have been posting more photos of palm trees and beaches on Facebook. I’m not sure if it’s meant to brighten my day, but as I’m trudging through slush on yet another frigid morning, all the sunny photos do is make me want to scream. Well, so what if southerners are walking around in shorts, dining al fresco and applying sunscreen right now. There’s one thing they can’t do: build...

It’s been a brutal winter. Things haven’t been this bad since gas was 60¢ a gallon. Even WGN-TV had a report on the news last night about how to keep on keeping on without putting a bullet in your brain. Then this morning there was a great sunrise. Because I’m a cat owner, I get to involuntarily see every sunrise, and this was the first nice one we’ve had in months. Apparently, you agree because Loop Spy...

Not everyone can get across the ocean to visit a traditional Christmas fair. And not every city is as lucky as Chicago to have a small-scale facsimile of one. The annual Christkindlmarkt is underway at Daley Plaza, and while it’s only half the size it once was (because it used to also take up the vacant lot that became Block37), it’s still a wonderful experience, especially at night with a light snow. I try to go...

In the last couple of decades I’ve lived in a dozen or so cities. But only one has had the unique combination of cold winter weather and skyscrapers that makes the classic Chicago “Falling Ice” sign a necessity. It’s been a mild 2011/2012 Winter so far, so they haven’t been seen much. But once we get a good, solid snowfall the city’s sidewalks will sprout with hundreds of ice warning signs, like...

Get outside this weekend. Eat an Italian ice on a sticky park bench while the bees hover. Slide down a too-hot metal slide on your stomach and burn your arms. Stand in a weed-choked lot and listen to the insects buzz in the heat. Then remember that soon enough, we’ll be back to the scene above (Michigan Avenue in a snowstorm), and you’ll yearn for the days of sticky benches, burning slides, and buzzing insects. Did you...

What once was old is new again. The more years I gain, the more I see that things are cyclical. But I didn’t see this coming. The seemingly friendly Battle of the Observation Decks being waged between the Sears Willis Tower (233 South Wacker Drive), and the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) has seen both sides dip into the old bag of tricks to bring in new customers. The first shot was fired in July of...